Dual Emergance
by AbyssGazer
Summary: One was sacrificed. Both gained seals. But blood can only be suppressed for so long. Betrayed by the ones they called family, they will embrace their heritage and duty, and emerge as powers to be feared in the universe. AU DBZ crossover.
1. Chapter 1

Alright people, here we go. At the moment I have a rough idea of where I want to go with this. Suggestions are always welcomed. That means that if you have an idea, tell me, please. Constructive criticism is encouraged. Flames will be judged on a heat scale between warm and inferno, all of which will be evaluated for any relevant criticism and summarily disregarded. Read my bio for my thoughts on updates. You ever read a story that has a good idea, but bad execution? Happens all the time. Hopefully this won't turn out that way.

Not Yaoi, by that way.

_**Summary**__: The night that the Kyuubi attacked, the sky's wept. Two flaming tears fell. One held Konaha's salvation, the other was orphaned. But blood can only be suppressed for so long. Now these children will find out their history and the betrayal from those they considered family. It's the start of a new mission: The task of avenging their people. AU DBZ._

_**Dual Emergence **_

_**Chapter 1: Sealed History**_

"What is the next planet to be cleansed for resale?" A low baritone voice asked from behind a large data screen. The sound of continuous beeping and typing could be heard throughout the large command center.

"Planet X-3A. C-Class planet. Primitive sentient beings, militant, use a form of energy manipulation that is based on elements and not Ki. Strongest single warrior calculated at mid A-Class and improving. Most are at or below D-Class. Several strong sentient beasts at S-Class."

"Sentient beasts, eh? At S-Class… That is not something that you see every day. Recommended course of action?" The deep voice asked its computer.

"All mid and high class squads are in preparation for the arrival of Lord Freeza. Low class squads would be decimated within two years. Send the children of one royal and one high class. The planet will be ready for sale within ten years."

"Available children?"

"Roku, son of Broku, age 1.5 years and Nexus, son of Commander Aldus, age .5 years, second cousin to King Vegita." The computer droned. The commander paused for a moment, not expecting his child, less then a year old, to be sent on a mission. He had seen the boy less then a week ago in his pod, along with the rest of the extended royal family children. The Doctors had said that his development was going well, though his eyes and hair were lighter then usual (an understatement, really. From what he had seen, the boy had silver hair), indicating possible higher development or a genetic anomaly. But he was a soldier, and he knew his duty, and that of his son.

"Very well, prepare the mission statement. Have the pods prepared to leave within the hour."

"What level of training programs do you wish for them, commander?" The computer asked.

"Royal Elite, full supplies." The commander said.

These were sons of high class Saiyans. He himself was a hero, having defeated an entire planet within three years when his partner's pod was destroyed. They were entitled no less. Of course, he felt that sending these two children was overkill, but they needed the planet quickly. Children were often sent to weak to mid level planets, with campaigns lasting anywhere between three and eight years. It took a child (usually between the ages of 2-5) two to three years to develop enough to take over a weak planet, not including the deep hibernation and travel. This was a dream assignment for children, as they would be on the fast track after they succeeded. That is what he would have thought, had this been even a day ago. He knew differently now.

Freeza had been sending less and less squads out to cleanse planets and the economy was hurting because of it. He had noticed that there was an increase of high ranked missions going to low class squads though. Most didn't come back, and those who did were killed for their failure. He had a bad feeling about the entire situation. The feeling only intensified after a discussion he had with a low-class Saiyan made mid-class commander named Burdock less then a day ago. The only reason he had not executed the man for speaking such treason was because he had been thinking along the same lines himself.

Freeza feared them. And for a being of Freeza's strength, that meant only one thing for the people of planet Vegita. Annihilation. And with nearly all of the Saiyans on the planet and the rest on what he had deemed 'suicide missions', it was going to be soon. The fact that Burdock's squad had been assassinated by Freeza's men only cemented his beliefs. Burdock had come to him in the hopes that the Royal Commander might aid in an all-or-nothing attack on their Lord. Aldus had put him in contact with his men and a coup was being mounted. The only reason that he was still in the command center was for the sake of appearances.

"Commander Aldus, you do not have authorization for Royal Elite training. Only Lord Freeza has such authorization." The computer told him. He knew that already though. Only Freeza's personal guard had been given that training. But if what he thought was going to happen, did happen, the consequences of these actions would be the least of his worries. At least like Burdock's son, his would be off planet, ensuring his survival.

"Computer, I am implementing a Royal Mission override; code X-731-S Alpha." The Commander said. The computer went silent for a moment.

"Code accepted. State new mission parameters, Commander." The Commander smirked slightly.

"Primary objective: training, retribution. Secondary objective, locate other Saiyans and repopulate. Royal Elite training and relative supplies. Upload history and technology archives into my son's pod. As well as my personal log. Launch as soon as possible. Delete the record of this mission and knowledge of the planet." Aldus told the computer.

"Mission parameters redefined. Upload commencing. Equipment loaded into pods. Hibernation process completed. ETA three years. Pods launched…" The computer paused again. "Records erased." The computer finished. The Commander's smirk turned feral. Yes… Hopefully his son would continue the legacy of the Saiyans. At the least he was sure that his son and his partner would defeat Freeza, in time. But perhaps it was a fool's hope. Freeza had more power then most Saiyans could comprehend. Not ten minutes after the launch did a red light flash and a siren go off… It seemed that his fears had come to fruition sooner then he had imagined.

_**Time Skip:**__Three years, twelve days, and fifteen hours_

Three men stood inside the office of a high tower, watching the rain fall in sheets. An old man with darkening wrinkled skin held a smoking pipe between his teeth, his silhouette highlighted by a flash of thunder. A younger man wearing green and red with an oddly horned hitai-ite adorning his head. White hair reached down to the back of his knees, red lines marked his cheeks from his eyes to his chin. An even younger man stood between the two. Blond hair standing in all direction and wearing a long white cloak with flames along the edges. The man once known as 'The Professor', Kami of shinobi, and former Hokage: **Sarutobi**. The powerful Frog Hermit, seal master and self proclaimed 'Kami's gift to women': Jiraiya. Konoha's 'Yellow Flash', seal master and Yondaime Hokage: Kazama Arashi. Their looks were grim. The Kyuubi had been sighted about three days ago, tearing up the countryside and destroying any villages it came across. The demon had been traveling in a relative straight line heading in one direction. To Konoha. The three had been discussing strategies on how to defeat the monster since the first sighting; none had the possibility of succeeding, however.

The inspiration had come when Arashi had nearly tripped over his sensei's summoning scroll. A seal would be their weapon. But not just any seal. A seal beyond any that had come before it. Demons had been sealed inside of people and things before, but this was the Demon of Demons, the Kyuubi no Yoko, a Kitsune of unparalleled power. It would have to be sealed in something with barely developed chakra pathways so that the influx of demonic chakra would not destroy the container. A child. Therein lay the problem. There were no children under a year old within the village. There were several due within the next month, but none available at the moment. Children were born in waves in this city. There were certain times of the year where the missions were lowest, inversely; these were the highest times of conception. The only possible child they could have used had died, along with its mother, due to complications. An Anbu had been sent to the nearest standing village to, for lack of a better word, 'steal' a child.

It had been deemed a necessary evil for the survival of Konoha. Necessary evil… It was a term that the Yondaime had come to know well since his taking of the title 'Hokage'. Everything in the world was balanced. Give and take. Pay and receive. Seals were no different. The power to take and seal a soul within another was inhuman. Which is why a human would not be powering it. The god of death would be summoned to do the deed. The price was high: The summoner's life. Again, another necessary evil. But if there was one thing that Arashi wanted more then anything else, was the safety and development of his village. And he would do _anything_ to see that done.

The Anbu that he had sent would be returning within the next day. The men's grim faced silence was interrupted by the sound of a crash and creaking trees coming from a source just outside their visual range.

"Shit, is it starting already?" Asked the white haired man, who was currently hanging out of the window. He was looking towards a small amount of smoke rising from a large training ground outside of the village. "I don't see anything though."

"No… the Kyuubi is close, I can feel it, but that was not an attack from the fox." The old man said, his eyes closed in concentration. A puff of smoke and leaves appearing out of nowhere from behind them interrupted the discussion.

"Hokage-sama, my apologies for interrupting your meeting." An owl masked Anbu began. "There has been a disturbance in training grounds 44. Two as of yet unidentified objects have fallen from the sky and crashed. They look like they are containers and what appear to be very young children are inside." The Anbu finished. Arashi stared at the after image of a bolt of lightening before he turned around.

"Show me."

(XxX)

Two long trenches, at least ten feet deep went on for close to a mile. A trail of destroyed trees littered the forest on either side. The objects that the Anbu had described did indeed look like containers. Fairly large, they were like white spheres with lines intersecting here and there and something resembling a door with a small window on what could be called the 'front'. Looking through this window showed a complicated array of electronic lights and a large comfortable looking chair. Children were indeed inside, if they could even be called that. Infants would be a better term. Arashi suppressed the hope that was rising in his chest. The two doors opened at the same time, billowing out large clouds of oppressive smoke.

He could feel their energy immediately, something extremely unusual from children, let alone ones so young. It was an unusual energy as well though. As the clouds cleared, the children could be seen better. The first had pitch black hair with his (which was apparent by its lack of clothing) eyes being just as dark, the pupil blended in perfectly where the color of the eye should have been. There was a screen to the left of the child displaying a language that he had never seen before. The child looked at him for a moment, almost as if sizing him up, and lost consciousness. A cry shook him out of his thoughts and turned his attention to the other child. This child was much younger: probably half as young as the other who could not be much more then a year old. Silver hair stuck up at odd angles, accented by a pair of silvery eyes outlined in black. The Hokage felt his pulse increase slightly.

"Kami has blessed us this night." Arashi said to no one. This child, whoever he might be, was the answer to their problem. He picked up the child and almost dropped him when he realized that there was something long and furry and just as silver as its hair dangling from behind it.

"Demon." The Anbu breathed, unsheathing his standard issue blade. Arashi thought so as well for a moment, but noticed that while their chakra signatures were different, they did not feel demonic.

"Look at their chakra, Hyuga-san, tell me what you see." The Yondaime ordered. If the Anbu felt any surprise at the man knowing he was a Hyuga, he did not show it. With a 'Hai', the Anbu activated his bloodline limit. What he saw shocked him. Their bodies flowed with energy, but it wasn't chakra.

"Hokage-sama, they have no chakra… but this is not possible, all things have and need chakra to live, even demons. They are full of energy, but it does not flow through a system, it seems to expand outward from their core." The Hyuga informed his leader. "Its…"

"Inhuman?" Arashi asked, only to receive a nod. "Perhaps it is." The man said, looking towards the sky. "Bury these things and return to your post. Say nothing to anyone. Never speak of this. Dismissed." The Yondaime said before grabbing the other child and disappearing in a bright yellow flash. The pods were buried well under ten feet underground next to a particularly large tree with a Doton jutsu. The Hokage's worry about information being leaked was for naught though. That Hyuga, Hyuga Triashi, was one of many Anbu to fall that night.

(XxX)

"You are certain that they have no chakra?" Sarutobi asked for the third time, studying the children before him. Chakra was the mixing of the physical energy with mental energy. The only thing that he could feel from the two before him was physical energy. But if this was true, then they would be mindless beasts, which was certainly untrue. Both boys had an intelligent glint in their eyes and the dark haired one had attempted to speak to them. Whatever he had said was garbled beyond recognition, possibly due to fatigue. Perhaps this energy was similar in the functions of chakra, merely different. He had felt a similar energy from a true Taijutsu master he had met once in his travels. The man had said that through deep meditation and physical training he had been able to unlock a powerful energy from within himself. His jutsu were extremely limited, nearly non-existent, but the things he was capable of… Amazing feats of strength and his speed was undeniable. As fast as Arashi's Shunshin easily. The man seemed to float at times while moving at those speeds. At the peak of the fight Sarutobi had requested the man simply glowed with a white fire. The master had said that he never named the energy, it simply was, and to name it something it was not would be a dishonor.

The white haired man next to him prodded at the tail of the dark haired child. The child woke up instantly and let out an ear-piercing wail. Jiraiya let go of the tail in shock and the child kicked him in the face in what appeared to be retaliation. That was not entirely unexpected, however. What was unexpected was Jiraiya being knocked on his ass with a broken nose. The man was up in an instant, pointing at his attacker.

"The gaki just broke my nose!" Jiraiya accused. Sarutobi rubbed his chin.

"Strong, very strong." He said. "Dangerously so for children. Infants no less."

"They could become a valuable asset to the village in the future." The Hokage reasoned. They were avoiding the main topic while precious time slipped away. The Kyuubi had been sighted nearing Konoha. Most of the Chunin were laying traps in the surrounding forest. Eight teams of Jounin were lined up in waves at a certain point some miles outside of the village, ready to attack. Most of the Anbu were tracking the beast as it made its way through the forests, reporting on its movements and would signal for the attack.

"And those tails… If they had chakra I would believe that they might be lesser monkey demons. Something will have to be done about those. A reaction like that in the field could be a liability. Not to mention the response of the villagers." Sarutobi continued.

"Hai, sensei, my pleasure..." Jiraiya said, as he picked the black haired kid off of the table, turned him over, and gave a mighty yank on its tail. The scream came like before, but was accompanied by a snapping sound. The wailing stopped, replaced by shocked silence, as the child was set down. Jiraiya held the dark brown tail in his hand. "See, simple as that." The man concluded; an overly smug grin on his face. Anger, however was evident on the now tail-less Saiyan. His blood reacted to his anger, instinctively increasing his power, little though it was. The Yondaime was surprised at the increase in energy, but it was Sarutobi who reacted first. Quick as lightening the boy received a chop to the neck, knocking him out once again.

"Eh, Ero-Sensei… look." Arashi said, bursting the Frog Sannin's bubble. Before their very eyes, the tail grew back, just as long and as thick as before.

"Such power… Whatever these boys are, they will be a force to be reckoned with. For the sake of the village, their loyalty will have to be ensured." Sarutobi muttered to himself. The Yondaime heard this and silently agreed. Jiraiya thought for a moment.

"I have a seal that can suppress bloodline limits. If these tails are unique to their… ano… blood, then the seal should be able to suppress them. It would have to be modified to be self-sustaining though, as they don't have chakra…" Jiraiya stopped, deep in thought. Arashi was a flurry of movement though. He whipped out a scroll and drew his sensei's seal and made calculations non-stop for twenty minutes. When he was finished, he handed the scroll to Jiraiya, who studied it.

"Yes… It would definitely work, but isn't it a bit too much? This would not only suppress their tails, but strength and possibly natural abilities they might possess, as well hinder their development… Though I suppose it would be easily self-sustained. Only…" But he was cut off as Arashi continued.

"It can't be helped." Arashi said. "It is slightly modifiable as well. If their strength now is anything to go by, then they won't have any problem keeping up... At least I think so… The development portion can't be fixed in the time that we have. If my calculations are correct, I can incorporate that into theShiki Fuujin, as well as a permanent, if flexible, henge, not too unlike Tsunade-sama's." The young man said, as he grabbed a brush filled with ink and blood and began to make the seal on the silver haired child's stomach before the other two men could stop him.

"You believe that even without a chakra system, this child will be able to hold the Kyuubi?" Sarutobi asked. He was a Ninjutsu expert, and while he knew the ins and outs of sealing, this was beyond him.

"Arashi." Jiraiya said. The man ignored him and answered the Third's question.

"First, I believe that because I am using my blood and chakra to make the seal, the Shinigami may be able to fuse my system to the child's. Sarutobi's student leaned against a wall, a grimace marring his features, still studying the scroll.

"Arashi, just what the hell _is_ this?" Jiraiya asked, throwing the scroll on the table, anger and disappointment in his eyes.

"Yes, I knew you were going to ask about that, Sensei. We don't know what they are going to be capable of in the future. Even with the seals… They may become too powerful, especially the one to be the container. It's a last resort, insurance on the safety of the village, should those two get out of hand. It's based off of the principle that makes the 'Caged Bird' Seal that the Hyuga use. Instead of rupturing the heart, or causing pain when activated-" But he was cut off by Jiraiya.

"It'll take the ambient chakra that powers the seal and intensify it until it kills them. Burn them from the inside out. This isn't anything like the bird seal… Arashi, you're talking about a cursed seal of the worst kind. What you're proposing… It goes beyond inhumane."

"They are not human." Arashi countered.

"And their not demons either!" Jiraiya said in a fierce whisper. Sarutobi let out a large smoke filled breath.

"It would be the fastest way to stop them." The Fourth defended.

"Jiraiya, it is a last resort, the use of which would only be deemed necessary should they become a danger to the village. The heads of the original founding clans of Konoha each had a similar seal placed on them for loyalty. It is… not an unheard of practice." The old man reasoned, though he felt as if a pound of lead was rolling around in his stomach. He ran his hand over his face, an action he had been doing more and more lately. He was getting too damn old for this shit. Jiraiya gave them both hard looks.

"Fine, but I don't like this though; it reminds me too much of the Snake. Too much control over something generally bites you in the ass rather hard." He told them. _'Hell… The one who survived the bastard's seal at least got something out of it. These boys… Kami have mercy on us.'_ Jiraiya thought to himself.

"And why a henge?" Sarutobi asked.

"Well, as for a henge… I'm no fool. I know how the village would treat him when they find out what he contains. Hell, they would treat him the same if they knew what he was, or rather, what he isn't. A person can be wise and understanding. People as a whole are ignorant and quick to anger. Take away the tail, add some blond hair and blue eyes, minor facial changes, and he'll look like me when he's older. The same reason they might hate him will be the same reason that I hope they will look up to him. They will see him as the demon, not the container. Hopefully, with the henge, and the proper training, they will eventually see him as my replacement." Arashi told them.

"And if these two are to be used by the village, we can't have them hating the place because of ignorant people. Especially the container." The third had a pained look across his face, knowing that what his successor said was true, though he had less faith in the people then the fourth did.

"Sadly, I agree." Sarutobi commented. "The other child will be given to the orphanage. I have a feeling that there will be a lot of orphaned children after this night. One more will not stand out. The container, though, might have to be handled more delicately. Perhaps I will have a Jounin look after him until he can live on his own…"

"Done. If all goes well, the fox's chakra will be totally assimilated into his system by the time he is 18 or so. At that time the Shiki Fuujin will go inactive, leaving the suppressant and henge seal." Arashi said, wiping the sweat off of his brow.

TheShiki Fuujin had been drawn flawlessly with the additional suppressant and henge seal. If all went well, the Kyuubi would be a problem of the past. The suppressant seal had also been drawn on the second child and was waiting for the chakra and blood to make the seal more then just some artwork. At the same time, both children's tails were removed and chakra was fed into the suppressant seals. The tails did not grow back and all traces of there having ever been there were gone. The henge part of the seal had also been activated, making the silver haired child's eyes and hair slowly turn a vibrant blue and yellow, respectively. A crash and a pillar of flames alerted them to how close the Kyuubi had gotten. Sarutobi's grim prediction of many orphaned children would turn out more true then he had imagined.

"That's my cue. Gotta go. Try to make them see the kid as a hero. It might go a long way for his image." Arashi said, jumping out of the window, only to make a hand seal to summon the toad boss in mid-air and bound away. That was the last time either of the two men left standing in the Hokage's office saw their friend alive. Three hours later the two were in the same office, this time the now blond haired child was with them.

(XxX)

"You'll have to name them, Sensei." The white haired man said, breaking the silence.

The seal had taken effect exactly how the fourth had hoped. A Hyuga had confirmed the new chakra pathways in the child, though Hyuga Hiashi had commented that the chakra was not… natural. This was to be expected though. The only chakra that the child had was what was being given to him by the fox. The red chakra dripped through the seal and came out a dark bluish purple in the circulatory system. The strange energy that pushed out from the child's core had been suppressed to the point that it was barely existent, being condensed and held inside the core. The Hyuga was obviously disturbed when he had taken a look at the other child though. The boy had no chakra pathways… a perfect, if unorthodox, defense against their clan's style. The man was told nothing and silenced, the Hokage stating everything he had seen as an S-Class secret. When the dark haired child started the academy, Hiashi would be the Hyuga to confirm the boy's 'undeveloped' chakra pathways.

The children were sleeping at the moment, looking different from when they had originally arrived in Konoha. The black haired child had had a henge added to his seal as well and now sported an overly large set of eye-brows. There was an up and coming Taijutsu master who now carried a slight resemblance to the boy. Hopefully the child would find acceptance with the 'Green Beast'. The fact that the kid would only ever be able to do Taijutsu was not lost on the old man. Sarutobi continued to look at the child for a moment longer before he came upon a name.

"Rock Lee." The newly reinstated Hokage said. Looking towards the other child, who now had more then a passing resemblance to the fourth, he sought for a name. He smiled as he found one. Whether because of the destruction that was stopped by the child, or the fact that he was extremely hungry, we will never know.

"Uzumaki. Uzumaki… Naruto."

(XxX END CHAPTER XxX)

That's the end of the first chapter… Tell me what ya think. Good, bad, other… As you can see, this is a crossover with DBZ. As stated before, I'm not real sure where I'm going with this, but I have a little bit planned, beyond that, I'm open to suggestion. As with all my righting, I let the story right itself.


	2. Chapter 2

Alright, next chapter up. Hope you enjoy it.

_**Previously: **__The children were sleeping at the moment, looking different from when they had originally arrived in Konoha. The black haired child had had a henge added to his seal as well and now sported an overly large set of eye-brows. There was an up and coming Taijutsu master who now carried a slight resemblance to the boy. Hopefully the child would find acceptance with the 'Green Beast'. The fact that the kid would only ever be able to do Taijutsu was not lost on the old man. Sarutobi continued to look at the child for a moment longer before he came upon a name._

"_Rock Lee." The newly reinstated Hokage said. Looking towards the other child, who now had more then a passing resemblance to the fourth, he sought for a name. He smiled as he found one. Whether because of the destruction that was stopped by the child, or the fact that he was extremely hungry, we will never know._

"_Uzumaki. Uzumaki… Naruto."_

_**Chapter 2: Masks of friendship**_

The third Hokage looked over the pile of paperwork on his desk and sighed. Normally he might weep over the loss of anything resembling fee time due to the veritable mountain of white on his desk. But not today. No, he would have welcomed paperwork at this point. No, he sighed at what the paperwork represented. The loss of a valued subordinate. Haruno Shia had been killed in action, defending her charge.

Uzumaki Naruto.

The old man took a long drag off of his pipe and held the sweet smoke in his lungs for a moment, before letting it out slowly. To date, the boy had over eighty assassination attempts on him. Over fifty assassination attempts had been by enraged villagers. Most had failed before they got within thirty feet of the boy. Shouting to the whole village 'DIE DEMON' kind of alerts others to your intentions. Thirty had been by professional shinobi. All of which had been leaf ninjas. Of the thirty, ten Genin did little better then civilians, though a few had been able to graze the boy's neck with kunai. Fifteen Chunin managed to attack the boy before being killed. Most of them had been able to do little more the ruff him up, but a group of five had put him in the hospital before being dispatched. The last five were Jounin. Two had chased him and his guardian through the city and separated them. The boy had been a bloody mess but was saved by ANBU. The last three had almost succeeded, leaving the boy still unconscious after three days and killing his Jounin protector. Those three were being interrogated at the moment.

Haruno was not the best Jounin that the leaf had to offer, but she had been one of the only Jounin willing to take the boy in, as she was unable to have children herself. There was also the fact that her family, a sister and her daughter, had amazingly not been affected by the Kyuubi's attack. That is not to say that she loved him like her own child, but she made sure that he was taken care of and protected him with all of her ability.

Eighty attempts on the boy's life, within three years. If it was not for the Kyuubi healing the boy, one of those attempts could have ended his life. There would have been more if he had not implemented his law against speaking about the demon, or its container.

The boy was getting older now and Sarutobi feared that he would begin to ask questions as to why bad things continued to happen to him. Why people looked at him with such loathing and disgust. The other boy, Rock Lee, had been taken in and treated like all of the other children at the orphanage, Sarutobi was happy to remember. He knew that would change once he entered the ninja academy though. He made a mental note to start putting things in motion. First and foremost was the placement of Uzumaki Naruto. Guardianship of the boy was drafted into an A-Rank mission with S-Rank pay, lasting as long as it took to put the boy into the academy. The money raised many a shinobi's curiosity. The mission details left much to be desired. For many, the pain was still too recent, and by the time they could get over their bias of the boy, they would not be needed. There were a few that had happily applied for the position, however, two had been found to be spies and four more wanted to kill the boy. Any morally half decent Jounin left simply did not want to deal with a kid.

If the boy was to be what the Yondaime wanted, better care would need to be taken. At this rate he would resent the village and attempt to go rogue before he became a Genin. It seemed that the boy would be going to the orphanage then. An ANBU agent would be assigned to watch him at all times to prevent any more attempts to kill Naruto. ANBU would be able to diffuse any situation before the boy was even aware, which is what the Hokage needed now that Naruto was getting older. It was curious though; the boy's physical development seemed to be going at a quick pace but had stopped suddenly. The other boy, Rock Lee, had gone through something similar, but had continued his growth, if at a slower rate. Their mental development seemed to be on par with their peers though. It seemed that the seal did more then hamper their development then the Third would have thought.

(XxX)

"Children, today we have…" The director of the orphanage glanced at the squirrel masked ANBU that had brought the boy in, but looked away quickly. "Someone new joining us here. I'm sure you'll all make him feel… right at home." She finished. Some of the children seemed interested, but many could care less and ran outside to play in the large playground behind the orphanage. She showed the demon brat where he would be staying for his duration there. Teri Kin loved children. She felt it was her life's passion to take care and nurture them to be the young men and women they would one day become. At least, that was how she felt before the Kyuubi attacked. She had come from a long line of shinobi, but chose to fallow her calling instead. All of her family, except for her retired grandfather, died in the attack. Her grandfather died shortly after, and much of her kindness went with him.

Now she was a taskmistress, implementing strict rules and harsh punishments. And she was going to be damned if that demon brat was going to get away scot free. Even if he was protected by that senile old man they called 'Hokage'.

"Rafu, come with me." Kin said to one of the largest of the young boys at the orphanage.

(XxX)

Naruto watched as the boys (and one or two girls) played a game with a ball in the middle of the yard. He had never seen a game like this before, and while he didn't know how to play, he wanted join them. Up until recently he had lived with his caretaker Haruno-san. While other boys and girls had mommies and daddies, he had Haruno-san. He was happy with her, she talked to him and taught him things like how to eat with chopsticks and that walking around naked was not acceptable. She had also attempted to teach him how to read, but he could only grasp the very basics. She was a nice lady, for the most part, and never looked at him with the same hurtful eyes that everyone else did. She even introduced him to, what he felt, was Kami's gift to the world, ramen. Not to mention she protected him from the bad people.

Those bad people… they hurt him, and they sometimes hurt her as well. He didn't know why they wanted to hurt him, but Haruno-san had tried to explain something to him once. She had said that good people sometimes do bad things when they are scared. But why would the bad people be afraid of him? He wasn't very scary. In fact, the few times that he had tried to scare Haruno-san, she had laughed at him and told him he had to get better if he was to sneak up on a ninja. He didn't really understand that, but there was something that he did understand. He didn't like to see the people he cared for hurt. Haruno-san didn't get better fast like he did, and it made him angry that people would hurt her. He wiped away a tear at remembering that the old man with the funny hat told him that Haruno-san had been hurt too badly. So bad that she wasn't going to get better. Naruto had seen more death before he was three then many ninja do in peace time, and while he had seen it, the concept was still out of his reach. He knew she wasn't coming back, that it was the bad people's fault, and that it made him sad and angry.But Oji-san had told him that he was going to go to a place where there were lots of kids his age, and that made him hurt less.

"Hi! I'm Sora, what's your name?" A slightly older girl asked him? Before he could answer several other children showed up, curious as well.

"Ano… I'm Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto told them with a bright smile.

"I'm Miko." Another girl introduced.

"Kichi." Yet another girl said.

"I'm Jiro." A boy this time.

"Kano." A rather rotund boy said.

"Lee!" A boy with thick eyebrows said loudly.

"And I'm Nori." A girl from behind them said quietly.

"Do you want to play with us? The big kids are playing ball right now, but we can play Onigokko." A chorus of agreement met this statement. This was one of the few games that Naruto had played and he readily agreed.

"Oi, since you're new, you can be the Oni!" The boy named Jiro said. Naruto nodded and gave chase as the other kids scattered. Naruto had almost caught up to one of the girls five minutes later when an older boy stepped into his path. He was running too hard to stop and ran straight into the boy, nearly knocking the other kid off his feet, while he fell to the ground. Naruto picked himself up quickly.

"_Gomen nasai." Naruto said. "Eh, what's your name?"_

_"You can call me Rafu-sama. Teri-san says I'm supposed to put you in your place." Rafu said, before pushing the boy back into the dirt._

_"Hey! Stop that you big bully!" Miko shouted at Rafu, before she too was pushed into the dirt and scraped her knee._

_"Don't do that!" Naruto shouted as he got up and punched the boy in the gut. The punch was sloppy but well aimed and knocked the wind out of the bully. Another kid that Naruto hadn't noticed came up from behind Rafu and punched Naruto in the head._

_"There will be none of that, you little monster. Here not an hour and already starting trouble. Go to your bed, you'll stay there until supper." Kin said as she stormed over to where the boys were._

_"But Teri-san, Rafu started-" One of the children defended but was silenced quickly._

_"Don't lie, Kichi, I saw the entire thing." Kin said loudly. "I won't have trouble makers go unpunished. Go!" She shouted at Naruto. Naruto could only stare at the woman in shock of the unfairness. But he kept his mouth shut and did as she said. He saw the look in her eyes, cold and hurtful. Would she turn out to be like the bad people? Naruto wondered as he sat on his worn cot in the corner of the room, staring out the window at the other kids playing. He had been able to hit the older kid at least. That made the injustice a little easier._

_(XxX)_

Naruto was slightly confused the next day. When he went outside to play with the other children like before, they were hesitant and scared, or looked at him with anger.

"Teri-san says you're a bad boy!" One of the children shouted before running away.

"Nani? I'm not…" Naruto's words died on his lips though as Rafu and his gang showed up again.

"They don't want to play with you, bad boys get them in trouble. And hurt if they don't stay away." Rafu told him.

"Yeah, and Teri-san said she'll give us something good if we make you cry." A pig faced boy next to their leader said. Another boy on the other side of Rafu didn't say anything, and threw a punch at Naruto. The surprise attack managed to unbalance the small boy and the others took advantage. He hurt, his head, his ribs, his legs and arms, but that pain was quickly going away. Rafu on the other hand was sporting a black eye and one of his cronies had a busted lip. They were tough boys, flaunting that they were stronger. He wasn't a bad boy, and he knew that. As he saw it, Teri-san wasn't one of the bad people; she fit into a new category. Mean people. As he got up to his feet though, he couldn't help but grin. It was unfair. It hurt. But it was… fun.

He didn't know why the fight made him feel this way. Why it made his blood pump faster. Why he waited with excited anticipation of where his next punch would land, despite the fact that he would receive at least three before he made a hit. It was a challenge, and he loved it. He would have to get stronger, to better defend himself. If the other kids weren't willing to stick with him while he was being blatantly bullied, then maybe they weren't worth it.

"Hi, Naruto-kun. I'm Lee, do you want to play?" The thick browed boy asked. Naruto looked at him for a moment.

"You're not scared of the bullies?" Naruto asked. Lee shook his head.

"Nope!" The boy told him.

"Okay, Fuzzy-brows." Naruto said brightly, a smile replacing his small grin, beaming with happy innocence only a nearly four year old could possess.

Maybe one of them was worth knowing after all.

(XxX)

Naruto and Lee played that day, even though Naruto thought that Lee would leave once the bullies showed up again. He was surprised the next day though, when not only did Lee stay by his side, but actually helped fighting them. With the addition of Lee, the bullies had been forced to recruit two more boys. No one walked away without something to show for it. One day after Naruto had noticed that Lee sported the same grin that he usually did after a fight, he tried to describe the feeling the fights gave him. He was surprised once again to find that Lee understood exactly what he was talking about and experienced the same thing. A friendship was born.

After that, the two boys tried to turn the fights into a game. Who could land the most hits while dodging as many as they could, or who could out run them the longest. There was never a real winner, as both got beat soundly, but they were improving. Teri-san had noticed the friendship and tried to separate the two by punishments. When that didn't work, she used the same tactic on Lee that she did with Naruto. Encourage the fights and turning a blind eye to them while spreading lies amongst the children. Neither boy noticed that the fights began to hurt less after a while, or that they were lasting longer against more people then they had before.

(XxX)

"Report." Demanded the Hokage from the Cat masked ninja in front of him. This would be second report that he had received on Uzumaki Naruto in the last year. The first ANBU assigned to the boy, Squirrel, had watched the boy for the first six months and dropped the assignment after that. It was reported that he was being taken care of, though a bit of a troublemaker, according to the ANBU. Cat had taken the task next.

"Twelve assassinations have been averted within the last six months. I believe you have the reports, but I will say that the closest any of them got was the perimeter of the orphanage." The ANBU told his superior.

"And of his well being?" The old man asked, lighting up is ever present pipe.

"The Uzumaki boy seems to well cared for. He eats properly, maintains his hygiene, and sleeps at regular intervals." The ANBU reported.

"What do you know of his education?"

"Teri is a strict teacher and supervises the general education of the orphanage children. The boy is well versed in reading, writing, and basic math and science. Better then most, I would think." Cat added as an after thought. It was true that Teri Kin supervised the education of the children, but she took a personal interest in the Uzumaki boy. Needless to say, he had learned his lesson quickly. The boy saw solitary confinement as a worse punishment then getting beat up.

"Very well, if that is all, you are dismissed." The Hokage said, going back to his paperwork. The Cat masked man seemed to hesitate for a moment, something that ANBU were trained never to do.

"Sir, technically, the boy _is_ being cared for, but, due to interference, he has become something of a social outcast." The ANBU began.

"Explain." The Hokage prompted, his face even.

"From what I understand, the head of the orphanage, Teri Kin, has encouraged several children to bully and fight him and another child on a daily basis. The other children will have nothing to do with the boy for fear of the bullies or Teri's punishments if they interact with him." The Hokage's eyes narrowed slightly.

"You mentioned another child who receives that same treatment?"

"Hai, there is a boy who, despite Teri Kin's efforts, stands by Uzumaki. It seems that when she could not dissuade the boy from being friends with Uzumaki, she encouraged the other children to treat him the same way."

"And why, pray tell, was this never brought to my attention?" The Sandaime asked, deceptively calm. The Cat masked man gulped.

"It was not brought to your immediate attention because, while no mention was made in the official report Squirrel left, his personal notes stated that you were aware of the situation, sir. That it had been made into a test of sorts. I would not have mentioned it at all if I didn't feel that it was taken too far recently. That as well as the fact that the boys seem to… Enjoy the conflicts. I've never seen children this young have an aptitude for fighting. From Squirrels' personal notes, it seems that when the fights started, the boys were subdued easily. But within three months the time it took to subdue them had doubled while fighting four more children then they began with. Many of the boys stopped fighting them and Teri was forced to get older children to help them. The last fight I saw, yesterday, included three ten year olds and two seven year old boys."

"Academy children." Sarutobi thought out loud. If it was true, then he would see to it that those children never made genin.

"Yes, most of them are. The younger ones have little grasp on the basics, but the older ones are only slightly below their age in academy Taijutsu." Cat finished. Sarutobi contemplated what he had been told. Teri Kin was obviously one of those people that would exercise their authority to the fullest without actually getting their hands dirty. She would be removed and replaced within the week.

It seemed it now was his time to step in. The boy seemed to be able to take care of himself, even in the face of adversity. The Third was sure that Uzumaki Naruto would be able to handle the responsibility of living on his own, even if he _was_ technically too young to do so. He would be enrolled into the academy within the next year or so, so exceptions could be made. If the other child Cat had mentioned was as good as the ANBU made him sound, then the boy would be going to the academy as well when he was old enough.

"And the other boy?" The Hokage asked.

"Rock Lee."

(XxX)

"Out, out, out!" Teri Kin shouted at the two children in front of her. It was ridicules. A four and a half year old and a five and a half year should not be able to fight ninja trained academy children. Granted, the two had gotten their asses kicked, but two of the almost genin had gotten broken bones from it. The first was from a block the Lee brat had managed to make, breaking a kid's elbow. The demon brat had done the second one, a broken knee from a well placed kick. She was at her wits end. Nothing she did seemed to faze these boys and now she would have to explain why academy children were injured under her watch. She wanted them gone. Out. Was hoping that they fell down a hole into bamboo spikes too much to hope for?

"But, Teri-san-"

"Out! Both of you. Now!" She screeched. Kami how she wished that one of the ninjas that she had paid had succeeded in killing the boy. Without even a chance to grab anything that belonged to them, though they had little more then a pillow to call their own, Naruto and Lee found themselves kicked out of the orphanage with nowhere to go. The two walked through the village aimlessly, trying to comprehend what had just happened.

"Why would Teri-san make us leave, Naruto-kun?" Lee asked his friend.

"I don't know, Fuzzy-brows… But I don't think she liked us very much." Naruto said. He was stating the obvious and they both knew it, but neither could find an adequate reason for Teri-san's actions. The real question that Lee wanted to ask was why the people were looking at Naruto like he had done something terribly wrong to them. It didn't make sense to him. They were too little to have done something so bad as to deserve those looks, which Lee was getting as well now. It was nearing dark when the boys heard a poof from behind them.

"Good evening children, might I ask why two young boys are wandering around the village at this time of night?" Naruto and Lee turned around and were shocked to find an old man in some funny robes behind them. They didn't answer for a moment, but Lee spoke up first.

"We were sent away… Teri-san told us to get out…" Lee trailed off emotionally, the horrible truth more real now then ever. The reality seemed to dawn on Naruto at this moment as well. They had no home, or food, or anything. The two looked on the verge of tears when the old man spoke again.

"Don't worry, children, everything will be fine." The old man said. "Walk with me, and I will show you where you can live from now on."

And he did. On the way he explained that Teri-san had been properly punished and that they did not have to worry about her or her punishments from now on. They would live together in a small apartment and get a monthly allowance for food and supplies. In exchange, the boys would have to promise to not start any trouble with their neighbors and keep the apartment clean. There was one more thing that they had to agree to.

"You want us to become ninjas? Like Haruno-san?" Naruto asked excitedly. Ever since he knew what a ninja was, he had wanted to be one. And now he would be get his chance.

"Or those people who jump on the houses or run on walls?" Lee asked just as excitedly. He had always been in awe of the things that he had seen those people doing. He would be able to do those things too now.

"After graduating from the shinobi academy, yes, you may one day become as skilled as them." The old man assured, not looking Lee in the eyes. Naruto and Lee looked at each other for a moment, and then back at the Hokage, stars shinning from their eyes.

"YES!" They both shouted, and the Hokage was sure he would be slightly deaf for the next few days.

(XxX)

The boy's excitement had dimmed considerably a week later though. Naruto would not be able go to the academy for another year and a half, so the boys would have to be in different classes. They got over this quickly though, when Lee said that he would show Naruto everything that he learned. The weeks until the academy reopened for the year flew by quickly. As promised, the boys kept the apartment clean and stayed out of the other residents' way. They tended to stay in the house or out in the woods, avoiding the majority of the villagers if possible. The looks that Naruto had received had not lessened. In fact, they increased as more people realized who he was. Lee received a portion of the same stares, at a lesser level, for being seen with Naruto. The question as to why still remained, but no answers were forthcoming.

Another six months had passed by. Lee was showing Naruto everything that he had learned, or tried to in some cases. A few months into the year, the instructor, fed up with Lee's lack of understanding or use of chakra, requested a Hyuuga to see if something was wrong. It was at this time that the Hokage allowed Hyuuga Hiashi to evaluate the boy and explain his findings. According to the Hyuuga, the boy had 'underdeveloped chakra pathways', and would never be able to use chakra. The boy was devastated, but was determined to become a great ninja using only Taijutsu when the Hokage told him of the ancient ninjas who did not have chakra to aid them in times long past.

(XxX)

For Naruto, the looks that the villagers gave him hadn't changed. He now avoided many different stores because of the 'Mean People' that owned them. Lee was accepted at more stores then him, but sometimes with barely hidden hostility, or over shown pity. For Lee, the looks had changed from all cold to some cold and some pitying from those who knew of his 'condition'. Worst of all were the children, who laughed at the fact that he could not use chakra, giving him the title 'dead last'.

"Why do they look at us so?" Lee asked the clouds from atop the apartment building.

"I asked Oji-san about that once." Naruto spoke up from the stairs. "He said he would tell me when I was older, that I wasn't ready to know yet. I hate it when he says that." Naruto complained. Lee silently agreed.

"Maybe they would look at us differently if we gave them a reason to look at us." Lee thought out loud.

"All I want is for them to accept me. Maybe they would accept us if we showed them something different then us." Naruto said, adding to Lee's thoughts.

They made a promise that night. They would become accepted. They would change the way the world looked at them. Even if it meant being something they weren't. Lee had explained that some ninjas used masks to hide who they were. They would just hide for a while until they found what they sought. The question was, what did they use as a mask? For Lee, the answer came a few months later when the Hokage introduced him to a man named Maito Gai, a Jounin who chose to use only Taijutsu to fight. Lee had found the flames of youth. Gai took guardianship over his mini clone shortly before Naruto was to join the academy, leaving the boy happy for his friend, but sad the he had left.

Naruto's answer came to him one day during the New Year's festival. From his apartment he could see a small gathering around a man in brightly colored clothing and face paint. The man performed tricks and harmless pranks on those around him, much to the joy of his audience. Naruto would give anything for people to look at him with the same happiness that they showed this man, and decided then and there that he had found his inspiration.

A clown.

(XxX)

Lee's and Naruto's friendship waned over the next few years. Lee was constantly busy with Gai and Naruto filled his time with pranks. Eventually the two stopped seeing each other all together. Naruto's only happiness was the laughter of his classmates, the fact that they were laughing at him was ignored, and the Hokage that would visit him sometimes. The boy felt that he had found acceptance in the old man who would take him out to ramen sometimes or give him things he desperately needed. At some point the boy forgot why he wore the bright orange jump suite and did the stupid things he did. Or why he never bothered with the tests that he knew he could pass. It didn't matter though. He had the laughs and the attention of the Hokage. Life was good.

You can only lie to yourself for so long.

(XxXEndChapterXxX)

Alright, that's the end of the second chapter. Tell me what you think, and where it might improve. Reviews are welcomed.


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